Actor linked to X-Files star guilty
David
star Gillian Anderson is an egocentric man who could reoffend, a judge said
Wednesday before sentencing him for sexual assault.
Adrian Hughes will serve two years for the rape of a young woman on his
kitchen counter in 1992.
Justice Selwyn Romilly of the B.C. Supreme Court recommended Hughes serve
his sentence at the Regional Health Centre, a Fraser Valley facility that
provides counselling and is part of the federal penitentiary system.
Jay Straith, Hughes's lawyer, said he would appeal the conviction.
Hughes and the woman met through a "voice personals" service. They
eventually agreed to meet at Hughes's apartment, where the offence occurred.
A psychological report cited by the judge said the case's negative publicity
made the chance of reoffending unlikely, but Romilly disagreed.
He said that "given the description of Mr. Hughes's personality and his
attitude about this offence, I do not find this claim particularly
reassuring that he will not reoffend."
The judge said Hughes, 34, had a "dysfunctional upbringing" and has shown
"contemptuous disregard for the feelings and personal integrity of the
victim."
The Crown had asked for a two-year term, while the defence sought a
six-month to one-year term, to be served in the community.
"I thought the sentence was high given all the circumstances here," Straith
said outside court.
"As I've said to Adrian, his problem probably is he's a '70s kind of guy in
the '90s. The attitudes in regard to where the boundaries are as far as men
and women are concerned has changed tremendously... I think Adrian found
himself with some old attitudes and some new times."
The lawyer did not elaborate further.
Straith also criticized some media outlets' role in the Hughes case,
accusing some reporters of selling their stories to U.S. and British
tabloids.
"I know the London tabloids and American tabloids probably throw around a
lot more money than our local media, but I think it's a pretty sad
commentary on the local media when we start playing the same game here."
He said Hughes is considering suing some media outlets.
Straith told the court earlier that Hughes's acting career had been
destroyed. Hughes, who is also known as Stanley Adrian Hockey, had only one
major acting job last year.
"Other than that he hasn't been acting as far as I know. He's been trying to
get roles," said the lawyer.
When Hughes was convicted last fall of one count of sexual assault, the
judge acquitted him on five other sexual-assault charges.
British tabloids have romantically linked Hughes and Anderson, who split
from her husband in 1996. Both actors have denied the romance.
Straith said he had no comment when asked Wednesday if Hughes and Anderson
were ever romantically linked.
Hughes's mother, who lives in Yorkshire, England, told a British newspaper
in 1996 that Anderson had spent the Christmas holidays with her son at her
home.
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